


Powers of Observation

by Sol1056



Series: This Intersection Time [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Humor, Original Character(s), Side Story, blade of marmora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol1056/pseuds/Sol1056
Summary: Kolivan pays too much attention, sometimes. Side-story toThe Uncertain Hour, taking place during/after ch22.





	Powers of Observation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ptw30](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptw30/gifts).



> I had run a snippet by @ptw30 while drafting ch22, and edited the line down when posting, on the grounds it didn't tonally fit with the scene. This caused great heartache for @ptw30, so this is a completely indulgent, holiday weekend, utterly pointless and totally random one-shot to give her an extra dose of Blade interactions. Also, Kolivan can be a bit of an ass, I think.

Kolivan stood behind Okdira as they waited for the route to headquarters to clear. They were close enough to see the winged ship depart, and now they had a ten-dobosh wait for the next open path.

Okdira's tail snaked up, curling around to grasp the tablet he'd left on the side.

"You're not fooling anyone," Kolivan said, and Okdira froze. "Those aren't intel summaries."

"They're hardly the raw data." Okdira raised one massive hand, waking the tablet and tapping—somewhat furtively—until the screen changed. The black-on-white Faratran logographs were replaced with blue-on-white Galra phonetics. "I would never put that on a personal device."

"I expect you wouldn't have room," Kolivan said, dry. "Unless you plan on reducing your library of Faratran romances."

Okdira looked over his shoulder at Kolivan, eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He returned his attention to the screens, shoulders stiff. "And even if I did, I consider myself on-duty right now."

When Kolivan didn't reply, Okdira relaxed. Eight more doboshes before the route was clear. A few more ticks, and Okdira picked up the tablet, nonchalantly angling it so Kolivan could see clearly that it was nothing more than a systems check on several running queries.

"Your tail lashes," Kolivan said, abruptly.

"What?" Okdira shot Kolivan a suspicious look.

"You have a tell. The last segment of your tail lashes at an even, slow pace when you're pleased."

"Does not." Okdira regarded his tail, which had retreated to wrap loosely around one ankle.

"When you're angry, the tip nearly vibrates."

"I'm working on that." Okdira set the tablet face-down, and his tail came up to push it a little farther away.

"When you're undecided, the largest movement is from the base segment, while the rest of the tail is relaxed."

"Should I be making a note of that, as a goal for my next personnel review?"

Kolivan pursed his lips together, a hint of a shrug. Okdira tapped a claw on the console, and checked the route again. Six doboshes. Okdira brought up the route schematics, perusing each one. Kolivan refrained from rolling his eyes. Okdira knew all the routes by heart; he'd been Kolivan's pilot on formal trips for long enough.

"When you're uncomfortable," Kolivan said, "your tail wraps around one ankle."

Okdira jumped, a hand landing on the console, accidentally closing two open side-screens. His tail slid free of his ankle to coil loosely beneath him, and the tip shook. Minor irritation, then, although that was equally obvious from Okdira's hunched shoulders.

"When you're excited, every segment is stiff, except the end, which curls and uncurls."

" _Kolivan_ ," Okdira growled. His claws clicked rapidly across the control panels, re-opening and re-situating the screens as he liked them. He opened the countdown, pointedly making the screen large enough to be seen from the back of the cabin. Three doboshes.

"When you're reading Faratran romances," Kolivan continued, "your tail curls and uncurls, except at certain points the speed increases. The assumption can only be that this indicates a romantic scene."

"Would you _stop_."

Kolivan kept his tone bland. "However, my observation is that at certain points, your tail goes perfectly still for at least a dobosh, and then gradually begins curling again. Given you appear to sometimes scroll back up and reread, as your tail repeats the movements, leads me to believe those must be a signal of a particularly engrossing—"

"Don't!" Okdira's shoulders were almost at his ears. "Kolivan, leave a man some _dignity_."

"You'll need to control these tells, if you ever want to do infiltration."

"Will it get me out of being your pilot?" Okdira requested another count from the central computer. The shuttle's countdown was sadly accurate. One dobosh. The last segment of Okdira's tail curled up tightly and smacked itself three times against the cabin floor.

Kolivan raised his brows, and tried to recall seeing that behavior before. He filed it away, as the computer sent an alert. The route was open, and Okdira fired up the shuttle's thrusters hard enough to make Kolivan sway from the force.

There was no further conversation—Kolivan had no intention of distracting a pilot on the more difficult route Okdira was taking—but it didn't stop him from paying attention. By the time they'd reached the halfway point, Okdira's tail had relaxed, only its end curling and uncurling.

Kolivan smiled to himself.   


End file.
